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Frank Schoutissen
Global Head of Channel & Alliances at SAP CX
Professional Background
Frank Schoutissen is a seasoned technology business leader with an impressive career spanning over 25 years in the enterprise software industry. His expertise lies in territory management, partner business development, strategy, and planning on a global scale. Throughout his career, Frank has demonstrated a strong ability to build and grow business channels, develop strategic partnerships, and drive significant revenue growth, particularly in challenging market conditions.
Frank began his career at Baan Company, where he excelled as a sales professional selling intricate ERP solutions. His success here paved the way for his next role at TopTier, a company primarily owned by Jan Baan, where he led the establishment and growth of the channel in the EMEA region. TopTier's success culminated in its acquisition by SAP for an impressive $486 million in 2001.
Following this landmark sale, Frank moved to Information Builders as the head of the European Channel and Distributors network. Under his leadership, the company experienced a remarkable 75% incremental increase in its indirect revenue, demonstrating his ability to navigate and thrive amidst the challenges of the enterprise software market.
In 2005, Frank transitioned to Sybase Netherlands, where he took charge of sales, marketing, and channel operations. This role positioned him at the forefront of a dynamic period that ultimately saw Sybase sold to SAP in 2010 for nearly $6 billion. After his tenure at Sybase, Frank recognized an opportunity to join hybris software in 2006, a smaller player in the evolving online “web shop” market. His strategic direction was instrumental in driving hybris to become the global leader in the omni-channel space. Between 2007 and 2014, he played a critical role in growing the company’s license revenue from $5 million to a staggering $200 million, while the channel services revenue soared to over $1.5 billion. In 2013, hybris was acquired by SAP for $1.3 billion, a testament to the successful growth strategy orchestrated by Frank.
After leaving SAP, Frank transitioned into advisory roles where his vast experience proved invaluable. He worked on various internationalization and channel development projects, including at OneView Commerce, Webtrekk, FPX, and served multiple advisory roles on boards, reflecting his respected status in the industry.
Since May 2019, Frank has rejoined SAP to lead the global partner and ecosystem activities for SAP CX, where he continues to innovate and drive success within the organization.
Education and Achievements
Frank’s education details are not extensively covered; however, his over two decades of hands-on experience in technology and enterprise solutions speak volumes about his professional growth and expertise. His roles at top-tier companies and successful exits highlight not only his adept leadership but his ability to perform as a visionary in the tech space.
During his career, Frank has been recognized for his strategic thinking, leadership skills, and his capacity to build high-performing teams. His role in dramatically increasing revenues and building sustainable partner ecosystems at several organizations is a clear indication of his capabilities and commitment to excellence in the field of technology and business development.
Achievements
- Transformation of Channel Structuring: At TopTier Software, he played a key role in establishing channel strategies that contributed to the company’s growth post-acquisition by SAP.
- Revenue Growth: Under Frank’s leadership at Information Builders, achieved a remarkable 75% increase in the indirect revenue stream during a critical phase in the enterprise software sector.
- Significant Growth at Hybris Software: Instrumental in growing hybris’s revenues from $5 million to $200 million while building a robust channel partner ecosystem, culminating in the acquisition by SAP for $1.3 billion.
- Advisory Roles: Frank's extensive advisory work following his tenure at SAP, including roles at various high-tech companies, showcases his adaptability and broad expertise across different market segments.
- Current Leadership at SAP: As the Global Head of Channel & Alliances for SAP CX, Frank is at the helm of partner and ecosystem strategies that drive new levels of success for SAP and its partners globally.
Frank Schoutissen’s impressive portfolio of experience, successful partnerships, and substantial revenue achievements showcases his expertise and passion for technology and enterprise solutions.
tags':['technology business leader','enterprise software','territory management','partner business development','global strategy','channel development','ERP solutions','SAP','hybris software','revenue growth','business advisory','international operations','omni-channel leadership'],
questions':['How did Frank Schoutissen's early career at Baan Company shape his approach to enterprise technology sales?','What strategies did Frank Schoutissen implement at hybris software to achieve significant revenue growth?','In what ways has Frank Schoutissen contributed to SAP CX since rejoining the company in 2019?','How did Frank Schoutissen’s experience with Information Builders prepare him for his subsequent roles in technology partnerships?','What key lessons has Frank Schoutissen learned throughout his extensive career in technology business leadership?'],
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Mesh works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Mesh offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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Mesh is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Mesh is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Mesh stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Mesh excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Mesh is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
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User feedback consistently highlights Mesh's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Mesh as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Mesh eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.